


The Calm Before The Storm

by boltschick2612



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Reunions, Tampa Bay Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-21
Updated: 2013-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-26 09:59:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltschick2612/pseuds/boltschick2612
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy thought his life was going to be easy after he got back together with Nate. He was wrong, and Matt coming back into town only serves to prove how wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Calm Before The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this story is directly tied to the 'When The Madness Stops...' series, but this story stands on it's own. Idea for this story came from the song "Figure It Out" by Maroon 5, so some of the story is loosely based on that. Thanks and enjoy!

 

If he had to be honest with himself, Teddy knew exactly what he was doing from the second he answered Matt's phone call. He could pretend like he had no idea why he was standing outside Matt's hotel room door, but he was fully aware pretending would do him no good. He knew they both wanted him to be there, feeling the plush carpet underneath his shoes, fingers tapping rhythmically against the door frame as he waited impatiently for the door to open. He almost let his hand fall away from the hard wood, almost turned to leave, when the door slowly started to creep open. It wasn't too late, there was still time to turn and run...but Teddy knew that wasn't what he wanted. From the second he heard Matt's voice on the other end of the phone line, Teddy knew he had to see him again. He had to stare into the bright blue of Matt's eyes and let the feeling of tranquility wash over him. It had been so long since he had gotten lost in the sky of Matt's eyes, and Teddy never realized how much Matt was like a drug until he was gone, leaving him shaking with withdrawals.

Matt had called Teddy only a few short hours before the time he found himself standing in the hotel hallway, saying he would be in town. He cited the need to take care of some final business with the Lightning management, saying it was a matter of paperwork, or some damn thing. Truth was, Teddy had stopped listening the second he knew he and Matt were going to be occupying the same zip code. It didn't matter to Teddy that whatever paperwork Matt felt he needed to take care of could have been dealt with by fax, or that said papers probably didn't even exist. All that mattered was Matt would be right in front of him, close enough to touch.

Teddy froze in place as the door slowly swung open, and for the first time all day, he was terrified of the possibilities that lay beyond the threshold of the hotel room. Something immediately felt wrong, and in a way, he guessed it was. His life was supposed to be about playing hockey, and spending what little free time he had left being in love with Nate Thompson. His life wasn't supposed to be about being with Nate half the time, and thinking about Matt the other half.

All thoughts slipped from Teddy's mind the second he saw Matt's calm face on the other side of the door. He was held breathless by the intense blue of Matt's eyes, sparkling in the hotel's bright lighting. His eyes dragged over Matt's body, taking in the small smile that was creeping to his lips, the sandy blond hair that was significantly shorter than when he left, the smooth skin of Matt's bare chest, and....

Teddy didn't even realize he had been staring at his ex-boyfriend until he heard a soft chuckle escape Matt's lips. As silly as Teddy knew it was, he suddenly felt overdressed in his jeans and black button up dress shirt, especially when compared to Matt's grey sweat pants and bare feet. He nervously tugged at the hem of his shirt and let a small, crooked smile play on his lips before breaking the silence.

"I'm glad you called, Matt. Welcome back."

Matt's smile grew, and he leaned casually against the door jamb. He was wrapped in a serene aura, just as Teddy always remembered him to be. "I'm glad too, I really wanted to see you again." Matt let an airy laugh escape him, and added "I was a little worried you would be too busy with Nate to answer my calls."

Teddy let his eyes fall to the floor, his face suddenly burning with embarrassment. He didn't want to tell Matt that he was even a little bit close to being right. With each shrill ring of his phone, Teddy fought with his emotions. He could answer the phone, or he could push the 'silence' button. He could feel the familiar calm with Matt, or the familiar burn with Nate.

It was so hard for Teddy to quantify who had which parts of his heart, but he knew both men resided in that place inside him, and always would. Nate had been the first person to ever become ingrained in his soul, yet Matt had been his salvation when he needed it the most.

Teddy knew what he was doing when he answered Matt's call, at least that's what he kept telling himself. By pressing that button, letting Matt know he heard him, Teddy thought he was putting the days of being torn between two very different people behind him. He thought he was putting Nate behind him.

He became suddenly all too aware that he was still standing outside the doorway, and that he and Matt have been staring at each other in awkward silence for what seemed like forever. Teddy wasn't even really sure why there was an uneasy feeling lingering in the air between them, they were far from strangers, and although they weren't together anymore, that was simply due to the fact that Matt had been ripped away from him and traded to Ottawa.

Oh....was that it? Was it the ever present wondering of what might have been, if things had only played out a little differently?

Teddy's train of thought was cut short when Matt lunged forward to embrace him in a hug, patting him heartily on the back, just as old teammates would. His next actions, however, did not fall in that same line. His words escaped him in a husky whisper, voice seeping with a tone that Teddy had all but forgotten.

"If you don't get in here right now, I can't be held responsible for the things I do to you in the hallway."

Teddy's breath hitched in his chest, and he barely had time to register Matt pulling him past the threshold and into the room. He wasn't sure how much of it was by his own accord, or how much is Matt's strong hands pulling him,  but before he knew it, his back was against the wall, the hotel room door being slammed shut behind him. Teddy never shut his eyes, never blinked, for fear of missing the intense moment that was swirling rapidly around him. He was dizzy as he felt Matt's tongue in his mouth, and almost drunk over the sensation of their lips pressed together, breath escaping him in ragged bursts. He didn't blink, didn't dare to, until Matt finally pulled away. It took what seemed like forever for Teddy's eyes to focus and his mind to slow. He was still trying to figure out exactly how the hell he even got into the hotel room when Matt leaned into him, their noses almost touching.

"So, has the bubble burst yet?" Matt's low, soft voice slid over Teddy like silk over skin, and he swallowed hard as Matt's fingers lightly trailed over his collar bone. He had to shut his eyes to keep himself from gazing into the deep blue pool of Matt's eyes, he couldn't let himself get caught up in them...not yet. Teddy's voice escaped him in a questioning croak.

"Wha-?"

Matt's fingers trailed away from Teddy's collar bone, and came to rest in the fabric valley above the top button of his shirt. Matt let his eyes fall and started fumbling with the button, not really attempting to undo it, more toying with it. Teddy felt Matt's breath sweep across the hollow of his throat as he moved closer, and his next words came with his lips almost pressed against Teddy's skin.

"The happy little bubble around you and Nate...of course, it's probably burst two or three times by now, am I right?"

Teddy's mind was so focused on the feeling of Matt so close to him, his fingers brushing over his skin as he continued to toy with the button, that he honestly couldn't tell Matt whether he was right or not. He was held speechless as Matt's fingers worked at the button, finally freeing it before moving to the one below it. Matt could feel Teddy's heart pounding against his fingertips as he worked at unbuttoning the dress shirt.

"You push away from each other..."

Teddy was dizzy from the sensations and the sound of Matt's voice washing over him. It was everything in his power not to take Matt's hands into his, and release everything he had into a single kiss. He didn't even care that Matt was seemingly picking apart his entire relationship with Nate, just as long as he continued to undress him at a maddeningly slow pace. Matt's fingers slid down to another button, dragging his fingers over the smooth, dark fabric of Teddy's shirt.

"...then you both realize just how much you need each other..."

Another button. And damn it, as much as Teddy wanted to protest Matt's words, he couldn't. Matt was right, and he was in no position to argue. He doubted he could have been able to find his voice, anyways.

"...get wrapped up in the explosively passionate reunion..."

Another button.

"...and before you know it, you're back where you started. In some weird limbo, constantly in a state of fucking or fighting."

This time, Matt's fingers trailed to the top button of Teddy's jean, his fingers brushing over the sensitive skin above the waistband. His gravelly whisper washed over Teddy as he worked to free the button from it's spot.

"Wash, rinse, repeat."

Matt stops abruptly, and Teddy was embarrassed when a pathetic whimper escaped him over the loss of Matt's touch. Matt rested his hand on the wall besides Teddy's head, leaning against it, and looked him intently in the eyes. For the first time since Teddy had stepped foot inside the hotel room, Matt's eyes weren't alight with passion or desire. They were dark with despair. Despair over something they both knew to be true.

"Your boyfriend doesn't know what he has, right in front of him."

Teddy couldn't tell Matt that his on again, off again relationship with Nate was currently off again. He couldn't vindicate Matt by letting him know he had been right all along. He also couldn't let Matt know just how much he had gotten under his skin in the short time they were together. Teddy found himself spending several minutes out of every day just thinking of Matt, and it frustrated him to no end. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about his piercing blue eyes, or how he had made him weak in the knees with a single look. 

He was with Nate now, or had been at the time, and Nate was supposed to be the axis around which his world turned. Unfortunately for Teddy, things just weren't that easy, but then, they never really were when Nate was involved. Their relationship was as turbulent as the bay waters during one of Florida's famous mid-afternoon summer thunderstorms, and just as blinding in it's intensity as the lightning sent from the dark clouds above. Trying to figure things out with Nate was like trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

Teddy sometimes found himself wondering how he could have fallen for two people that were such polar opposites of each other. He supposed something in him needed the tranquility of Matt's serenity, just as something in him longed for the heat of Nate's fiery nature. Matt was the calm, and Nate was the storm.

Teddy's head was spinning, and whether it was Matt's piercing stare, or something else, it was getting harder and harder for him to breathe the longer Matt's hands were on him. 

To Matt, Teddy's needs were cellophane. Clear and transparent. "I know you want to break free from the monotony."

Teddy couldn't help but let out a choked laugh. He wasn't exactly sure what he would call his relationship with Nate, but...toxic? Maybe. Confusing? Absolutely. But monotonous? Not even close.

"Even dysfunction can be monotonous. Repetitive." Matt's light, breathy laugh sent a shiver straight down Teddy's spine. It was a laugh he had heard many times, and it always meant that Matt was up to something. God, how he missed that laugh, and everything that usually followed it. He started searching Matt's eyes for the flash that always came after the mischievous sound, just as thunder was always followed by lightning. And there it was, flashing in Matt's eyes with bright white intensity.

"I tried to be happy for you, I really did. I tried to forget all the times I made you scream as you came apart."

Teddy couldn't help but stare at Matt's lips as the words escaped him, couldn't help but think about how those lips tasted, how they felt.

"But sometimes just the thought of you makes it so...hard." Matt tugs at Teddy's waistband, pulling him forward and crushing their bodies together below the waist. The double meaning of Matt's words weren't lost on Teddy, and he closed his eyes hard as he fought to regain control, as futile as it might have been. The feeling of Matt pressed against him, every bulge and muscle, had his pulse racing. Matt ghosted his lips over Teddy's, just barely making contact, before sending out a whisper that Teddy could feel through his whole body.

"When was the last time you screamed so loud you couldn't talk the next day?"

Teddy bit at his lower lip to keep himself from admitting that the only time he had screamed with Nate is when they were fighting.

"Don't worry, I'll remind you what it feels like." Matt bit at his lower lip, sly smile curling around the corners of his mouth as he slid down the zipper to Teddy's jeans. Matt's lips plotted a trail down Teddy's body, pressing against his chest, moving down his stomach until his lips were above the waistband of Teddy's jeans. Teddy closed his eyes and let out a low groan, resting his head back against the wall behind him. If it weren't for Matt's strong hands pressed to his hips, literally holding him against the wall, Teddy would have slowly slid to the floor, his knees gone weak. In the back of Teddy's mind he could feel the rough denim of his pants slid past his hips as Matt's lips danced over his skin. The cool air brushed over Teddy's now bare skin, and he was overtaken by the sensations swirling around him. The heat of Matt's tongue, the cold air sweeping over him, the hard wall against his back...it was enough to make him dizzy. Even the languid lines Matt's tongue drew on Teddy's rigid flesh were indicative of every single trait he possessed. Slow, easy, serene.

Teddy couldn't help but think of how things would be if it were Nate that had him pressed against the wall, leaving bite marks on his inner thigh. If this were Nate, the passion would have ignited so fast it would have been over before it really began. He couldn't keep thinking like this, he knew he couldn't. He knew he had to push all thoughts of Nate out of his mind. They weren't together anymore, and Matt wanted to do anything and everything to show him why that was for the better. Matt would give him everything he ever wanted, all he had to do was let him.

He looked down at Matt through hooded eyes, and for a second, he didn't feel the wet warmth of Matt's mouth wrapped around him, or the sharp twinge of Matt's nails digging into his thigh. For a second, all he felt was Matt's fiery blue eyes burning into his soul as he looked up at him. Teddy was held breathless, and he almost didn't register that Matt had pulled away. He never broke his gaze, keeping his eyes locked with Teddy's, as he slowly stood. He gently looped his fingers around Teddy's wrist, pulling him in the direction of the bed.

"Come on. There's plenty more where that came from."

Matt's silken voice flowed over Teddy as he shrugged out if his shirt and threw it with his pants, pooled in a heap on the floor. He followed Matt and left the clothes behind, just like thoughts of anything outside of him, Matt, and the hotel sheets just waited to be crumpled by their heated bodies.

Teddy couldn't help but feel slightly awkward as he lay face down on the bed, and he knew it was silly, after how many times they had slept together. There was always just something about Matt, or maybe it was the relationship, that made every time feel like the first time. Sometimes Teddy found that exhilarating, but there was always that little twinge of bashfulness skirting around the edges. It was one thing that Teddy has never managed to shrug off in the time they were together, and now was no different.

Matt crawled onto the bed after him, curling up beside him and hooking his still clothed leg around Teddy's. He lightly trailed his fingers down Teddy's spine, sending shivers coursing through his entire body. The pressure of his fingertips over Teddy's skin increased as he slipped his fingers into the valley of Teddy's ass, lightly brushing over his heated opening, and earning him a muffled whimper. Matt smirked at the reaction gained from something as simple as his touch. He pressed a kiss to Teddy's ear, and sent a velvety whisper into the air.

"How long has it been since someone took their time with you?"

Matt didn't wait for an answer, instead he took to laying kisses on Teddy's shoulder blade, slowly moving down his body. Teddy felt the light trail of Matt's lips as they transversed down his back, skating across his hip. He lifted his hips, groaning, when he felt teeth nipping at the flesh of his ass. Teddy was so entrenched in the sensation of Matt's lips over his sensitive skin, that he almost didn't notice when Matt slipped a finger inside him. He burrowed his face into the pillow, releasing a muffled cry of pleasure as Matt slid in another finger, moving them in a way that had Teddy writhing against the sheets. His head was spinning as Matt's tongue dragged over his skin, painting languid strokes along Teddy's already over heated flesh.

"Please," Teddy whined through gritted teeth, and trembled slightly as Matt's tongue skirted the edges of his opening.

Matt smiled against Teddy's skin, and mumbled something unintelligible before obliging the only man he could never deny of anything. Ever.

Teddy felt a heat that emanated from his core as Matt started to use his tongue to accentuate the job his fingers were already doing. Teddy didn't care how he looked as he let out a low moan and bucked his hips backwards, forcing Matt's fingers deeper inside him. He had to bite at his lower lip to keep from growling at Matt to just get on with it, but really, the leisurely pace had him more electrified than he had been in a long time. Almost as if he could read Teddy's mind, knowing exactly what he needed, Matt slowly withdrew his fingers, brushing them lightly over Teddy's skin. He moved to plant a small kiss on the back of Teddy's neck, whispering against his skin.

"How long has it been since someone really  _savored_   you?"

Teddy turned his head, attempting to touch his lips to whatever expanse of Matt's skin he could reach. He managed to catch Matt's earlobe in his teeth before letting out a small laugh and answering him in a whisper. "How long have you been gone?"

Matt pressed a kiss to Teddy's lips, smiling with his lips still against Teddy's, and mumbled his smug reply. "That's what I thought."

He took Teddy's lower lip between his teeth, biting down and eliciting a moan. It had been far too long since he had seen Teddy, seen him like this, moaning and receptive to everything he said and did, and Matt wanted to drag the moment out for all it was worth. He wanted to make the seconds last for hours, the hours last for days, and he knew Teddy wanted the same thing. He gazed into Teddy's chocolate brown eyes, and was instantly taken back to the days when nothing else mattered except each other. It was the days before life changing trades and heart wrenching loneliness. Matt had to force his mind onto another subject before the whole night was negated by the sadness threatening to overtake him. He was pulled from his thoughts by the feeling of Teddy's lips skating over the top of his hand as it lay on the bed. He moved his body to lay next to Teddy's, face down and nose to nose with him. Teddy must have seen the thoughtful look in Matt's eyes, because he planted a small kiss on the tip of his nose before breaking the silence with a questioning tone.

"What you thinking about?"

"About how I love seeing you like this. And how I'm half tempted to leave you a quivering mess on my bed," Matt answered with a seductive smile.

"You wouldn't be so mean."

"You know me so well." Matt moved to send another trail of kisses down Teddy's back, this time wriggling free of his sweat pants as he did so, hooking his fingers under the waistband, sliding them past his hips with one hand as he slowly moved his lips down the porcelain expanse of Teddy's bare skin. By the time he made it to Teddy's tailbone, Matt's sweats were bunched around his ankles, and he kicked them off in a single, fluid motion. Teddy's heart was pounding in his ears as he felt Matt brush his fingers over the inside of his thighs, and he heard the faint rustle of the sheets as Matt moved behind him, bracketing his knees with his own.

He leaned down and bit at the sensitive skin of Teddy's shoulder blade, while slowly sliding into him with the same slow pace and diligence he had reserved for the entire night. As skin slid past tight skin, they both gasped in unison, and Matt panted against Teddy's shoulder blade, his hot breath brushing over him. Matt thrust deeper into Teddy, and Teddy responded by arching back, gritting his teeth against the sensations that were coursing through his system. It wasn't just the physical thrill of being wound tighter than a violin string, his muscles tight with anticipation as Matt ghosted his fingers down his back, that had Teddy rushing swiftly towards the edge. The emotional high of being so utterly entrenched in someone had Teddy fighting to hold on. His entire body tensed, and he made a fevered grab at the sheets as he came undone, gasping against the pillow, his muffled cries filling the air.

Matt's eyes blurred as Teddy tensed around him, the exquisite sensation sending his world spiralling out of control. Heat spread through his body as he grazed his teeth over Teddy's skin, biting down to keep the low growl from escaping his throat as he came.

As they came down from the adrenaline high, sending the sounds of harsh breaths cascading into the silent air, they both couldn't help but think of how familiar it all felt. How familiar it was for Matt to be laying on top of Teddy, sweat slicked with his heart pounding out of his chest. How utterly commonplace it was for Teddy to be relishing in the feeling of Matt curled up next to him, his lips pressed against the soft skin on the inside of Teddy's wrists as his pulse slowed to normal.

It was all so familiar, yet all so foreign at the same time. The strain of distance and time had dulled the memories of lips skating over skin, fingertips catching errant strands of hair, and names whispered into the darkness. The only thing they could do was hope this most recent memory wouldn't fade like the rest, and that they could  hold onto what little recollections they had, until maybe one day they were lucky enough to make some new ones.

The last shards of sunlight were pushing past the curtains, casting the whole room in a blue-pink aura. Teddy had his arm lazily draped over Matt's waist as he lay pressed against his back, his face buried in Matt's sand colored hair and their legs intertwined. The last thing Matt felt and heard before he slipped under the powerful grip of sleep was Teddy press a soft kiss to the back of his neck, and a quiet mumble of "I really missed you."

 

                                                                                                        -X-

 

The final rays of daylight had long passed, leaving the hotel room cloaked in an oppressing darkness. Matt hadn't stirred since the moment he had fallen asleep, but Teddy hadn't been so lucky. He laid face down on the mattress, unable to fall back to sleep. He remembered the days when just the light sound of Matt's breathing was enough to lull him, but not tonight. It seemed like his mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, making sleep impossible.

His cell phone was resting on the bedside table, and he had taken to trailing his fingers across it's dark screen, leaving smudged fingerprints across the otherwise flawless surface. Some part of him was calling out for Nate, somewhere deep inside he wanted to pick the phone up, and dial the numbers that would let him hear Nate's voice. Some part of him wanted another chance.

Or maybe he just didn't want to feel as if he had failed, yet again.

Or maybe it was because he knew what tomorrow held for them. He knew they would both wake up to a reality as harsh as the morning sun streaming in through the windows, a reality where Matt would have to leave him behind for the second time. Maybe he just wanted Nate to be there to pick up the pieces.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the feeling of Matt's hand brushing down his arm, grasping his hand, and gently pulling it back away from the phone. He wove his fingers with Teddy's, holding hands with him in a way that was as comfortable as it was desperate. Like he didn't want to ever let go. Matt's sleep drenched voice filled the air, wrapping around them, warm and comforting.

"Tonight, you're mine."

Teddy wasn't shocked to discover he had absolutely no problem with that. None at all.


End file.
